Many vehicle door locks have a cylinder in the door into which a key is inserted. Rotation of the inserted key typically moves a lever that activates the door locking mechanism. Forced entry to a vehicle is often sought to be accomplished by inserting an object, such as a rod or screwdriver, into the key opening of the lock cylinder and forcibly moving it to initiate movement of the locking lever and thereby unlock the door to permit entry.
Several countries have enacted standards that mandate a vehicle manufacturer to certify that the locking mechanism installed in vehicles manufactured or sold in the country will withstand a certain level of attempted forcible entry. For example, a number of European countries have a standard requiring that the locking mechanism must withstand insertion of a key-like object into the key opening of a lock cylinder of a locked vehicle door and the application of an inward force of 300N. While maintaining the inward force, there is to be an up-down force of 50N in a plane generally perpendicular to the inwardly applied force. The lock mechanism must withstand twenty cycles of these forces without having the lock mechanism open to permit opening of the door and access to the vehicle.